Finalist at the Los Angeles CineFest

Hajimete no Kimochi (The First Feeling in My Life) has been selected as a Finalist for the Los Angeles CineFest! I can't contain my excitement over the positive feedback the film is getting all over the world. I'm really proud to have been part of its creation.

Watch trailer with English subtitles here:

2018-03-10

Audience Award and Best Short Film Nominee

Happy to announce that we won the Audience Award at Linkage Short Film Festival for Hajimete no Kimochi! Two weeks before it was also nominated for Best Short Film at Isesaki Short Film Festival.

2018-02-03

West End showcase of 'Colette'

As I have mentioned on social media, today we are doing a 20-minute West End showcase of our new musical COLETTE, about the life of French writer Colette. The showcase will take place at the Crazy Coqs cabaret stage. 'Colette' has lyrics by Danusia Iwaszko and Rachel Dawick, and music by me. It's written as part of the BML workshop where we just finished our second year. BML is modeled after the Lehman Angel BMI Workshop in New York, and is the UK's only workshop for musical theatre writing.

2017-12-18

Hajimete no Kimochi

Hajimete no Kimochi is a Japanese short film I did the music for recently. It's based on a poem by Shuntaro Tanikawa, who has published over 60 books of poetry, and features narration by singer Aoi Teshima. Directed, filmed and edited by Kazuma Yano. The total playing time of my minimalist music is 7 minutes, using mainly piano and cello with a few other sounds added.

Trailer:

The film will premiere on 23 December at the Ashiya Tearful Cinema Festival in Japan.
Tickets: www.ururu.info

2017-10-03

Songwriting Award

I have just received the Löf Foundation Culture Award for my songwriting achievements for musical theatre. They were amazed at the scope and quality of my work (I now have over 500 songs registered with STIM, the Swedish performing rights society) and gave a special mention of my song lyrics.

2017-08-05

New single out now!

My 13th single Difficult (Impossible Remix) is released next week, but is already available from my bandcamp page, featuring Peter Asplund's classic jazz trumpet from the original 2007 album Blissa nova.

12th single out now

My 12th single Love This World is released today! It's a totally new recording of the song from my 2013 album Beautiful Place, in a new slower tempo, new time-signature (4/4 instead of 6/8) and in 432hz instead of 440hz tuning. I posted some background story on my blog.

This song is a slow-motion mantra for a more peaceful world:

I love this world
It's a perfect world
I love this world
It's a peaceful world

New single released today

Changes Changes (Nujabes Tribute Remix) is released today! It's a remix of the 2013 acoustic 'haiku song' from Beautiful Place in a remix in memory of Japanese DJ and producer Nujabes (1974-2010).
Read more here

Composer at the BML workshop

I have been admitted as a composer to the BML workshop in London, aimed at developing and nurturing new British musical theatre writing. The first session is today at RADA Studios, and the workshop will continue until December. BML stands for BOOK Music & Lyrics, and is sponsored by, among others, Arts Council England, Mercury Musical Developments and The Noel Coward Foundation.

2015-12-20

Unreleased songs from the past 20 years

To celebrate the fact that I have now written 500 songs, I will post one unreleased song a day on my facebook page until New Year's Eve.
The first song is The Best I Can Do from 1994, featuring me playing the harmonica as well as all the other instruments.
https://www.facebook.com/jcschutz/videos/968988516505674/

2015-10-30

All 10 singles available from iTunes

Finally, all my 10 singles are available from iTunes, including the three ones in Swedish from 2009. Together with my 5 albums, that's totally 15 releases.

I'm Here - New single!

Today my new single I'm Here is released. Or, actually, pre-released. It will be on iTunes and other sites from next Monday. It's the favorite song of many of my fans, and so I give you a completely new, acoustic version!

Two musicals selected

Two of my musicals have been selected for a pitching slot in November at Park Theatre, London, for next years BEAM:2016 showcase of new musical writing!
One, still not made official, is being written together with Simon Stewart. The second is my Japan-themed musical Peach [working title] which I started writing in 2009. For Peach I am looking for a bookwriter to help reform and rewrite the libretto.

The best pitches will then be offered to make a 30-minute showcase in front of producers, directors and venue representatives looking for new shows. Wish us luck!!!

Instagram

No news is good news

I know I haven't posted any news for some time, but as they say: No news is good news!
If you follow me on twitter and facebook, you already know that I am working on a couple of new albums and productions. Hope to be able to share more with you soon!
Love, JC

2015-03-16

Live at Paris Book Fair

I will perform three days at the Paris Book Fair (Salon du livre de Paris) together with Brazilian singer Eloisia.

Music for documentary

I'm currently composing and recording music for a documentary movie. It's directed and filmed by my friends Marcus André and Jessica Svensson, and will show the everyday life of a Bulgarian beggar-turned-friend of mine. In Bulgaria he can not get employment because of the discrimination of roma people, so he came here to beg in the streets.

They will go with him to Bulgaria and try to understand what makes people travel thousands of miles to sit in the streets to beg. A trailer with my music will be posted soon.

Duet single release

Today, May 20, Brazilian singer Vanessa Pinheiro and I release a duet single of my song I Guess It's Ok performed in two languages, English and Portuguese. It's a new version of the song from my C'est La Vie album, but with jazz piano trio and strings, plus my regular acoustic guitar.

Extended again

We have extended the running of RENT until April 14, to give everyone the chance to see it. The public demand is amazing, and the response and reviews have been fabulous. Here is the new facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/224030777798527/

RENT will open on March 2nd!

RENT will open on March 2nd, 2014, at Skandiateatern in central Norrköping, and we will do performances until the end of March.
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/RENTNKPG

2013-11-15

The musical RENT

We have just started rehearsing a new Swedish production of RENT at Skandiateatern in Norrköping. The premiere is planned to February 2014. Director is Johan Pettersson, with whom I wrote and co-produced Tivolisaga earlier this year. Producer is Robin Karlsson (for Arbis nytta och nöje), and choreographer is Elin Hultberg, who also worked with us for Tivolisaga. More information is coming soon.
Follow us on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RENTNKPG

2013-11-05

Beautiful Place music video

2013-07-09

Finally!!!

Beautiful Place - my 5th album, will finally be released on July 28, from IDEE Records (Japan).
The 49-minute album (12 songs), even includes a cover version of Over the Rainbow, one of my favorite songs ever!
I'll keep you posted on the news!

2013-06-24

Premiere of our new musical

Tivolisaga -- [Traveling] Carnival Tale -- is the title of a musical I have written in collaboration with Johan Pettersson. It will premiere at Arbisteatern, Norrköping, Sweden, on August 24!
We've started a production blog in Swedish:
http://tivolisaga.blogg.se

2013-05-18

New website up!

Just updated this website completely. As always, let me know what you think!

2012-12-17

Japan radio

J-WAVE, TOKYO FM, KAMAKURA FM and radio in FUKUOKA have all been playing my Christmas song, and this week Japan FM Network, JFN, will play it every morning in OH!HAPPY MORNING, broadcast all over Japan!http://www2.jfn.co.jp/oh/tiger.html

2012-12-08

Music video is online

Today, 32 years after the death of John Lennon, Christmas Time (We can change the world) is posted on youtube. It's based on a Nobel Peace Prize nominated cartoon called "Peace on Earth". Please share the link and spread the love!

2012-12-05

iTunes Store and others

Today my new song is released worldwide on iTunes Store and several other sites. Spotify, Amazon mp3, and others will follow.iTunes StoreBandcampCD Baby

2012-11-29

Christmas single release

Next week I will release a Christmas single! It features 12 of my friends from all over the world singing backing vocals! The theme is hopeful, in times of economic recession where people tend to blame the ethnically different for problems within the country. Sweden and several other countries have right-wing fascist parties in the parliaments, and this song is my reaction. Let's keep it together. Don't give in to fear. We all have the same wishes and dreams, no matter our ethnical and cultural background.

2012-11-22

New album postponed

Unfortunately my 5th album is postponed until early Spring 2013. Please enjoy the samples on my blog while you wait.
Release date will be announced later.http://blog.jcschutz.com

Peacebird T-shirt

Tokyo FM

Today I did a live performance in Tokyo FM's morning program Blue Ocean, previously announced on my blog, twitter and facebook. I was invited to talk about me and my life and music and to sing 2 songs live!Blue Ocean websiteTokyo FM's Facebook page

2012-07-04

TV Tokyo

Next Thursday, July 12, I will make my first appearance in Japanese TV! I think it's a kind of travel program (?) led by comedian Dancho Yasuda (from Yasuda Dai Circus), and we recorded the scene with my acoustic live performance last week at 8.Cafe in Fujisawa, southwest of Tokyo.

New album

The new album, my fifth, will possibly be titled LOVE THIS WORLD, and has an earthy, organic sound. The 8 songs are my most philosophical so far. Songs included: A smile will take you far, Peace is the way, Changes changes, I learned to be me, Piece of myself, From here (my first time to perform a song with only voice and piano), Don't fight the flow (inspired by my favourite book, SIDDHARTHA by Hermann Hesse), and the title song Love This World.

2012-03-15

'Rendez-Vous Voyage' release event on March 20

The release event for the compilation RENDEZ-VOUS VOYAGE will take place on Tuesday, March 20 at Aoyama Francfranc. I will play a few songs at 18:30, and have a little talk session with Rachel Chan.
Start 18:00.
Rendez-vous website

2012-03-08

J-Wave Rendez-Vous compilation album

My song 'I Love You' is to be included on a Japanese compilation CD called RENDEZ-VOUS VOYAGE, with music played in J-Wave's weekday programme Rendez-Vous, hosted by Rachel Chan. Including songs from all over the world, the most famous artists included are Elza Soares and Cesar Camargo Mariano who are both featured on a song by Banda Black Rio.Release is March 21.
Rendez-vous website (Japanese)Rachel Chan's blog (Japanese)AmazonTower Records

2012-02-22

New album

A second Peacebird album is scheduled for release in June 2012! It will be recorded in March in Tokyo, with Kazuya Saka (piano), Show Kudo (bass), Kaoru Suzuki (drums) and me (vocals/guitar/cavaquinho).

2011-11-01

Most played foreign song

I'm speechless... No, 'Slow Down' wasn't the most played song in Japanese FM radio, and I wasn't the most played artist.
But it was the most played foreign song during all October!!!
Amazing.

For older news, please check my Blog

About J.C. Schütz

Johan Christher Schütz is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. His songs have been covered by singers from four different continents.
He released his first solo album Passion in 2004, which immediately became an indie bestseller in Japan.

During October 2011, his song Slow Down was the most played foreign song on Japanese radio.

He premiered his first musical Tivolisaga (Carnival Tale) in Sweden in 2013, written in collaboration with director Johan Pettersson.

In 2016 he was admitted to the BML workshop in London, aimed at nurturing and developing new British musical theatre writing.

In 2017 he received the Löf Foundation Culture Award.

In February 2018, new musical 'Colette' was showcased in the West-End at Crazy Coqs, with music by Schütz, and lyrics by Rachel Dawick and Danusia Iwaszko, written during the BML workshop.